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Florida’s trouble condominium market is hitting residents in their wallets, with homeowners association (HOA) fees rising dramatically to rates that are significantly above the national median.

Tampa’s median monthly HOA fee was up 17.2% year-over-year for the three months ending July 31 – the greatest spike among 43 metro areas tracked by Redfin (NASDAQ: RDFN). Two other Florida metros rounded out the top three listing for year-over-year HOA fee hikes: Orlando (16.7%) and Fort Lauderdale (16.2%). HOA fees also rose in West Palm Beach (12.8%), Jacksonville (7.6%) and Miami (5.7%).

Across the 43 metro areas analyzed by Redfin, the median increase for this period was 5.7%. Redfin noted that Miami’s year-over-year median HOA fee increase was lower than other Florida metros because the market is already very expensive – Miami’s $835 median monthly HOA fee was higher than any other metro Redfin analyzed.

What went wrong in Florida? Redfin attributed the problem to insurance premiums soaring amid a skein of natural disasters and the exit of some home insurers from the state. Nearly three-quarters of Florida homeowners say they’ve seen a rise in insurance costs or changes in coverage.

Exacerbating the situation is the decline in Florida’s condo sales. Redfin reported Jacksonville’s condo sale prices fell 6.6% year over year in July – the biggest decline among the metros Redfin analyzed – followed by Tampa with a 4.9% drop; other declines were recorded in Fort Lauderdale (-4.2%), Miami (-2.2%) and Orlando (-0.5%). By comparison, condo prices posted a median gain of 1.9% across the 43 metros Redfin analyzed.

“Many buildings. even those without amenities, now have HOA dues north of $1,000 a month,” said Rafael Corrales, a Redfin Premier agent in Miami. “And with special assessments getting tacked on, a lot of condo owners who are retired and/or on a fixed income are being forced to sell and relocate because they can’t keep up with the payments.”

Booking.com